Austin McCloud was raised in Lubbock and attended Baylor Law School. He became an associate of the Houston law firm of Fulbright, Crooker, Bates, and Jaworski and was later appointed a Texas district judge. He was elected as Chief Justice of the Eleventh Court of Appeals in Eastland and served in that capacity for nearly 25 years. Even after his retirement, he continued to serve as a jurist in other appellate courts in Texas when needed. He drafted bar questions as a member of the National Conference of Board Examiners, was chosen as Outstanding Jurist in Texas, was named President of the Council of Chief Justices of Texas Courts of Appeal, served as President of the Baylor Law School Alumni Association, and worked on procedural reform as part of the Texas Supreme Court’s Rules Advisory Committee. He is the namesake of the Appellate Court Museum in Eastland.